Most Common Foods for Food-borne Illness

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 48 million Americans, 1 in 6, get a food-borne illness each year. Annually, these illnesses send 128,000 to the hospital and 3,000 die. But often, which food is to blame is unknown.

However the CDC recently released a report that attributes the illness to specific foods. Here are some of their findings:

* Produce, including fruits, nuts, leafy greens, and other vegetables, accounts for nearly half of food-borne illness. Leafy greens, especially, are linked to the norovirus which causes about 20 million cases of the stomach flu each year.

* The most fatal infections are caused by poultry and meat which are associated with salmonella and listeria. Together, meat and poultry accounted for 22% of all food-borne illnesses and 29% of deaths.

* Dairy and eggs followed closely behind and were to blame for 20% of illnesses and 15% of deaths.

* Several of the known illnesses involved foods that had ingredients from several different food categories.

When cooking at home, prevent your chance of a food-borne illness with these simple steps:

* Be sure to wash your vegetables. Also wash your cutting boards and other kitchen utensils properly after use.